Conventional server racks utilized in a datacenters or elsewhere typically include a server with one or more storage devices (e.g., hard-disk drives) and/or other components. As technologies for server racks have evolved, the number of servers incorporated into such server racks has increased. As a result, the number of storage devices and/or other components is continually increasing in server racks. Further, as the number of storage devices in a server rack increases, the task of identifying which storage devices have experienced error becomes more and more complex in large datacenters.
Typically, an operator (e.g., service technician) identifies a storage device with an error by manually identifying an activated status light for the storage device located outside the server rack. However, such a procedure is typically only available via in-band control and can be triggered only by the server's internal processes. That is, the illumination of the light occurs in response to signals from the server's operating system. As a result, if the error is accidentally cleared by the server, there is no efficient means for reactivating the status light and the technician will be unable to identify the affected storage device.